My Secret Blog: Sunshine and happiness

I'm sorry for the consistent trend of no posts then multiple posts. I have been waiting for a good rainy day to sit and write, but fortunately and unfortunately I have not had one. Besides, time with friends is always better than time at the computer.

I would love to put together a slide show of all the fun I had in Norway, but I gave up those abilities when I got my mini-computer. So just scroll through flickr and maybe sing a little song to yourself while you do it. Maybe this one.

Here are some things I learned about Norway, in no particular order:

1. Ginger is amazing. Which I knew, but it was a good refresher course. She does however speak Norwegian like a cartoon character (or so they say) and she is a little dangerous on a bike. She is also the most generous friend I could ever ask for and took care of me the whole time I was there. I heart GLR.

2. Kayla, her roommate, is another incredible lady and a great babysitter. While Ginger was working (to support her lame friend), Kayla stepped up and got me out and about. And as you can see she is a wonderful canonballer! She may look a little scared, but she's squelchin' it hard!

3. Abbreviations are everywhere when you are hanging out with Ginge. It's a little hard to keep up at times. My favorite: spark wat (aka sparkling water). It's funny cause it's truuuuue.

4. The majority of Norwegians speak excellent english. Probably better english than most Americans. BUT they do not like to use it. There is a bit of debate as to why: some of them said it is a pride thing, others said it is because they are self-conscious. Regardless, if you are the only non-Norwegian at the table, don't expect them to speak engligh just to include you in conversation. Ginger's closest friends were a definite exception to this rule and very fun to talk to.

5. The Rockabilly scene is huge in Oslo. Think 50s vintage and lots of it. Pinned hair, leather jackets, rolled tight jeans...amazing.

6. Contrary to no. 5 many people also love death metal. One bar even had a sign up for Death Jazz. I would have liked to see what that was all about.

7. It is still light outside at 11pm and then the sun "sets" (which means twilight blue not pitch black) for an hour or two and then it comes back up. This can really mess with your head!

8. As soon as it gets sunny and warm the locals lose all inhibition. They drink like little fishes and go to the park to work on their "tan"...which they do in their bra and underwear. No swim suits. Just skivvies. This is apparently quite different from the winter Norwegian style which is a bit more reserved. They also don't wear sunscreen.

9. Almost everyone is pretty. Even the not so pretty people are prettier here than the prettiest people in most other places. The top of the spectrum folks should just be supermodels. Ginger and Kayla fit right in!

10. Norway is gorgeous. We didn't get too far out of the city, but the penninsula was a great little get away.

11. I love having friends that I can just play with. We spent hours at the pool just goofing off and having FUN. Not to mention all the biking around and sitting and chatting. It is so healthy to have people you can really laugh with. No questions, no judgements, just being yourself and having fun! I love it!

Norway was the best detour ever. It was good for my soul and a wonderful break from thinking about the new gig. It is easy for me to just keep chugging along, barreling away at 100kph, but sometimes I need a good friend (like my little Ginge) to pull the brake and make me stop for a minute. I left for Provence with very little notice and then I jumped right into training and reading about the job and working in the warehouse. Norway was time OFF. It was a good reminder to take time for me and not lose myself while trying to please others. A good lesson to take to heart as I start up here in Ireland.